Northern Forest Center Inc

Developing vibrant rural communities: the Center strengthens the vitality of rural communities and their ability to attract new residents and entrepreneurs. The Center served 56 communities through programs, investment, fundraising assistance, and project implementation; continued property redevelopment (through our subsidiary Sustainable Forest Futures); and delivered complementary programming in 10 focal communities including Bethel, Greenville, and Millinocket, ME; Tupper Lake, Chester, and Elizabethtown, NY; and Newport and St. Johnsbury, VT. Highlights of FY25 include: Completed redevelopment of historic buildings in St. Johnsbury, VT, and Bethel ME, into 9 apartments each for area residents and workers. Continued to manage Maine West, a collaborative of diverse non-profits in Bethel, Rumford, South Paris, and Norway, ME, to implement projects to secure economic, education, health and conservation benefits. Secured a $1.2-million grant from the US Department of Labor to create and support a workforce development program serving 4 school districts and the Katahdin Higher Education Center in the Moosehead-Katahdin region and managed a similar program serving 4 school districts in Western Maine. Implemented the fourth year of the Attracting New Residents Strategy in the Adirondacks through downtown revitalization, community-based recreation, community marketing, and middle-market housing in Tupper Lake and Elizabethtown, NY. Invested more than $100,000 in trail and recreation improvements focused on serving community-oriented projects, reducing barriers to youth participation in outdoor recreation, and improving trail sustainability across Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks. Doubled the size of the Bike Borderlands collaborative by adding locations serving Caroga, the High Peaks, and the Upper Hudson regions of NY; Stowe, Newport, and Williston, VT; Mt. Washington Valley, NH; and the Moosehead region of ME to expand quality mountain biking experiences for residents and visitors while stewarding the natural landscape and securing economic benefits for communities. The new locations join ongoing Borderlands members in Gorham, Franconia, and Littleton, NH; Bethel and Carrabassett Valley, ME; East Burke and Craftsbury, VT; and East Hereford, Quebec.Details are available at www.northernforest.org.

Catalyzing innovation in the forest economy: The Center helps create and improve jobs and build local wealth through opportunities that advance a regional land ethic and sustainable use of the forest. Highlights: Wood Heat: Since inception, the "Feel Good Heat" program has reduced greenhouse gas impact by 13,648 tons by substituting wood pellets for more than 2 million gallons of fossil fuels, generating $13.4 million in positive economic impact for the region. Wood Products Business Assistance: The Center supported 1,650 jobs by: providing custom business and marketing assistance to 49 wood products businesses; providing 9 wood products CEOs from ME and VT with business assistance throughout the year through the Northern Forest Board Forum; and coaching 34 wood product businesses to use their wood-origin stories in their marketing through the online workshop "Telling Your Forest Story." Forest Stewardship: The Center advocated for a holistic approach to forest management that includes the forest, the economy, societal benefits, and the communities that rely on the forest; supported the communities of Otisfield and Gilead, ME to create new Community Forests; worked with 8 Community Forests in the Androscoggin Valley of NH and ME to strengthen forest climate resilience; and engaged more 300 people through webinars on forest stewardship to broaden understanding of the roles and benefits of forests. Outdoor Recreation Development: The Center partnered with 61 communities, 80 partner organizations, and more than 100 businesses to improve trails and other outdoor recreation opportunities that attract visitors and provide amenities for residents. We completed a recreation investment strategy to help guide development of the outdoor recreation economy in Maine's Katahdin region and launched similar project focused on Northern NH and the Northeast Kingdom of VT; assisted communities in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Coos County, NH, and Oxford County, ME, to manage for sustainable tourism and quality of life for residents through initiatives spawned by the Rural Tourism Academy, including continued implementation of new wayfinding systems in Newport, VT and the Katahdin region of ME; and provided strategic development support for sustainable tourism to businesses in the Moosehead Lake region of ME. Details are available at www.northernforest.org.